DNF

all the thanks to the publisher and author giving me this arc via netgalley!

this follows daciana, an apprentice to the village's apothecary, and sorin, the head of guards. although their lives couldn't be any more different, the two find themselves solving a murder case together, inevitably leading to strong characters and a cute little romance.

the atmosphere is perfect for a cozy mystery-romance with small fantasy elements. the characters are also very likeable. though they have their own struggles, they both focus on having humanity and bringing each other up. overall, this was a fun story with family drama and grief. the romance had forehead kisses, hand holding, and just a very clean premise.

i think this book is perfect for:

• bringing someone out of a reading slump
• a little bit of thinking but much more vibes
• clean romance with sweet scenes
• no intense world-building but instead, lighthearted fantasy
• a quick simple read

why i decided not to continue:

this book definitely has its audience who would adore this. but i guessed everything that happened from the very start. and although a complex mystery wasn't the goal here, i don't think i could find myself enjoying the plot any further with the constant non-discreet writing. the writing (it is an arc, so changes are likely) felt everything telling than any showing. but these preferences are definitely more on me than the book itself :)

quick premise a kingdom of salt and stone is a fantasy world where mortals are gifted different divine powers from gods. we follow maeve who ends up being chosen, but soon she can't help but find the power as a burden. with gemstones imbued into her cheek, her power is far too dangerous. and as threats on her life strengthen, she's forced to be watched under a guard at all times. navigating through betrayals, political war, and her own personal struggles: maeve fiercely battles to protect what she loves.

quick thoughts this was such a perfect mixture of world-building and character dynamics. everyone was likeable but also different in their own ways. i love me my found family moments, and despite the seriousness, this book was layered well in lighthearted fun scenes. the loyalty in the friend group bounced off very clearly, and although everyone had their own personal struggles, they all persevered and fought together.

also the way i tell you this was such a good mental health rep. maeve's severe anxiety in every scene of panic was spot on. not only was her mental health represented well, but the way other characters reacted was perfect and beyond supportive.

the only issue i had was the often disagreeing, hot n cold, and turbulent moments between a few characters. it did grow quite frustrating at some points, but at the same time it felt very needed, representing their personal battles even more.

read this if you want

• well balanced world-building. not super simple but not complex
• banter & fun moments
• amazing mental health rep
• found family
• a war college theme

I want whatever magical writing this is.

note: I do not support this author. my mistake was realizing too late after having already bought the book, therefore, i'm not continuing the series.

wes bennett the man you are

the story was worth it simply because I would never decline swoon worthy scenes from wes and liz. however I do fear, this may have been better as a standalone--simply for the sake of my mind and the way I can no longer picture their relationship the same.

I feel like this book is just two characters meeting their villain arc after a miscommunication in their relationship for two whole years straight. oh but you think that's it? hopeful me thought I could manage and push through this painful trope.. but little did I know I was gonna get slammed with a false cheating combination too.

I will admit, Wes's story may have had me tearing up.. but his sob story unfortunately wasn't enough to prevent the annoyance that his character development went backwards from bttm. in fact, their whole relationship felt like a 180 and a constant tug of war that had me beyond tired. I knew it was gonna be different considering they're older, but even the vibes in nltm is nowhere near close to bttm.

and oh boy, part of me wishes I could have some mercy on liz after the stress she caused me book one. again, little did I know she'll enter her emo phase and turn into some anti-romantic who is (I can't believe I'm saying this), described as one of 'the guys'. I also feel like there wasn't much to her besides the fact that she's a hopeless romantic turned closed-off after being heartbroken. I will give her some points because I can't really name any second hand embarrassment scenes--which is like a miracle considering book one 😭

not only is this the first contemporary romance i've read in awhile, but this is actually my first lynn painter book (wooo)

well.. this book was a rollercoaster of emotions. it had your girl laughing away like nothing else existed, but within 0.5 seconds later.. I KNOW the book was shaking in its boots with the way I was about to commit book abuse. I genuinely applaud those who had the physical copy in their hands.. I fear mine would have needed a funeral service.

also I do have to spare this book a bit. it's kinda the little test subject for me and my attempt of getting into YA romance. but there's just something about seeing modern slang inside books that has me gouging my eyes out--but it's a process of getting used to.

our main girl, liz--yeah someone get her an award for being one of the most delusional fmcs i have ever read. i'm gonna need some real character development for her in the next book or wes's back is gonna have to get checked out for the way he CARRIED this book.

it's one to romanticize your whole life, but to gush over your childhood crush from kindergarten YEARS later after not seeing him since ELEMENTARY. maam.. you are about to graduate high school. WHAT are we doing here??

and honestly, i was gonna let it slide. like I won't forbid an impulsive quirky teenager to just have a bit of romantic delusion in her life. but how on earth do you manage to contribute to literally every single second hand embarrassment scene in this book. the amount of times I had to physically stop reading is FAR too much for 300 pages. liz literally took off years of my life every time she made a decision regarding other people. if we're gonna have a character like this, PLEASE have some growth. i beg.

besides liz, this was genuinely so cute. love wes. he will be the reason i'm continuing onto the second book. bttm is proof that even if you may be one of the most insufferable people on planet earth, someone is out there to love you (this is a joke, don't kill me).

if i had to be serious, liz was grieving her mom's death in which i was so very much trying to empathize with the whole book. if anything, i love books and characters that deal with grieving messages, and despite how much liz's decisions had me fighting for my life.. it didn't take away from how much i appreciate the details between the relationship of liz and her mom.

anyway the vibes of this book is immaculate. hopeless romantic meets love--followed by a bunch of references and quotes to other movies and shows. there's so many mini cute details in the book, definitely 100% recommend this for the vibes. i would yap my mouth away about wes but that'll be review numero dos in book two !!